Thanks for reaching out about your wrist pain. Certainly wrist pain is very common and as Dr Sean mentions De Quervain's tenosynovitis can cause considerable pain.
I have seen it in patients from different walks of life and it can be precipitated by playing badminton, using the computer or even lifting up babies!
There are of course other causes of joint pain that can come on insidiously, such as inflammatory conditions (e.g. gout or arthritis) , stress fractures (with repetitive forces), tendon anthologies or even degenerative changes.
Firstly you could try:
1. Splinting to offload the wrist
2. Anti-inflammatories
3. Icing
4. Activity assessment/modification
If these fail, as Dr Sean mentions, you could see a surgeon for assessment and further investigation is certainly an option. Other options include consulting:
1. A physiotherapist for assessment and functional interventions
2. A Sports/MSK physician for assessment, ultrasound scanning (very useful for superficial areas such as wrists) functional treatments and guided treatments if required.
3. A Hand therapist for assessment, splinting and functional interventions
I hope this adds to what you have perhaps looked into yourself.
BW
Dr Dinesh
